Peter Manning completed a doctorate in electronic and computer music at the University of Durham in 1977, and has been director of the Electronic Music Studio since 1980. In addition to writing books and articles on the history and development of the medium he has directed several research programs into new technologies for computer music and composed a number of electroacoustic works that have been widely performed in Europe, the Far East, and America.

• Contents ; List of Illustrations ; Preface ; About the Companion Website ; 1 The Background, to 1945 ; I. Developments from 1945 to 1960 ; 2 Paris and Musique Concrete ; 3 Cologne and Electronische Musik ; 4 Milan and Elsewhere in Europe ; 5 America ; II. New Horizons in Electronic Design ; 6 The Voltage-Controlled Synthesizer ; III. The Electronic Repertory from 1960 ; 7 Works for Tape ; 8 Live Electronic Music ; 9 Rock and Pop Electronic Music ; IV. The Digital Revolution to 1980 ; 10 The Foundations of Computer Music ; 11 From Computer Technology to Musical Creativity ; 12 The Microprocessor Revolution ; V. Digital Audio ; 13 The Characteristics of Digital Audio ; VI. MIDI ; 14 The Development of the MIDI Communications Protocol ; From Analog to Digital: The Evolution of MIDI Hardware ; 16 From Microcomputer to Music Computer: The MIDI Perspective ; 17 Further Advances in Hardware Design ; 18 The Changing Fortunes of the MIDI Manufacturing Sector ; VII. Desktop Synthesis and Signal Processing ; 19 From Minicomputer to Advanced Computer Workstation ; 20 The Personal Computer ; 21 The Digital Audio Workstation ; 22 Laptop Music and Related Activities ; 23 Synthesis, Signal Processing, and Spatialization ; 24 Performance Controllers: Evolution and Change ; VIII. Global Networking ; 25 The Internet ; 26 Conclusion ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

Manning ... presents an in-depth history of electronic and computer music by tracing the technological developments that gave birth to it and governed its evolution ... he provides a remarkable breadth of scientifically oriented information for advanced students and practitioners in the field who need to understand how the current technological landscape came about. This new edition, along with the earlier editions, belongs in academic music research libraries as well as relevant science collections.